Balotelli started to shout something in the general direction of his own bench. Leonardo Bonucci immediately grabbed the 21-year-old in a celebratory hug and thrust his hand over Balotelli’s mouth. Bonucci said: “What he said he said in English and I didn’t understand it.

I put my hand in front because Mario is instinctive and that’s also his strength.” Thanks to the Juventus centre-back’s quick thinking, it wasn’t clear who was the target of Balotelli’s ire.